Of course they were victims, but they were victims of their imperialist government at least as much as they were victims of the US if not more so. The Japanese military led an aggressive, savage campaign. They raped and brutalized with impunity. They tortured POWs with impunity. They carried out disgusting medical experiments and vivisections with zero humanity. Perhaps you are familiar with the rape of Nanking? Unit 731?

They sneak-attacked the US and pulled them into the war, and even after they were completely defeated they would. not. stop.

It’s a very complicated issue. Debate will go on forever about whether or not the US nuking Japan was the “right” choice. It will never end because it is based on hypotheticals about what might have happened in an alternate timeline, and what the true motivations behind it might have been.

One thing is very clear though: Japan’s government and their military were beat and they should have surrendered but they did not. Their military continued to operate their systematic campaign of torture and rape.

The US had atomic bombs and responded by using them. Was it the right thing to do? Who knows. Japan’s government fucked around, repeatedly, and their citizens found out.

Putting it all on the US is a level of cope beyond anything science could have imagined.